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The addictive qualities behind Twitter

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Social media are a series of websites designed to connect millions of people through interactive photos, statuses, updates and much more.

Although social media are a relatively new and growing sensation, we have become accustomed to using it daily in order to progress our social lives in a way never before imaginable.

Getting well acquainted with old friends from high school or relatives from across the country is as simple as a few clicks on Facebook or Twitter.

Speaking of Twitter, the site itself is only seven years old and already has 500 million users, according to socialmediatoday.com.

It is the fastest growing social media website with 288 million active users and 400 million tweets sent per day. Since Twitter has become a titan in the social media industry, is it possible to become addicted to such easy-to-use services? You may not think that is likely, but tell that to a man who lost his job over his addiction to tweeting. According to Gawker, Larry Carlat, previous editor of Men’s Health magazine, lost his job, got divorced and alienated loved ones because of his constant Twitter fever. Carlat’s tweeting habits were overstepping his company’s policy because he was on Twitter so often.

“I had a choice: to delete the account or face termination. Sensing that my days were numbered, and being ambivalent about the job anyway, I chose to fall on my sword,” Carlat said in an interview.

Fortunately for Carlat, he ended up deleting his Twitter account cold turkey due to all the negative aspects it had contributed to his life.

That brings me to my point: If an editor of a magazine can be addicted to social media, why cannot average college students? I use Twitter every day and sometimes do not even realize it. It is such an enticing app on my phone that whenever I get the slightest spare time, I just hop on and check to see what is happening in the world. I feel better when I am aware of what is happening than when I am not.

I want to participate in all corners of the Internet, but life is more precious. I have always wondered what would happen if Twitter shut down for 24 hours. What would happen if Twitter was completely inactive for a week?

The world we live in is based on interacting through technology more so now than it ever has been before. Our dependence on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other apps has increased tenfold.
Sometimes it is much easier to step outside and breathe fresh air and stay away from my phone. Usually I will give myself two hours of not using my phone every day to clear my head and look around.

I do not want life to pass me by over the years and make it feel like seconds due to social media. I would rather live in the present moment and be aware of my surroundings than kill time seeing what everyone else is doing on a day- to-day basis.